Nothing Phone 2 Review: Lighting Up The Competition

After launching the excellent OnePlus Nord in 2020, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei left the company to spearhead Nothing, a design-savvy consumer electronics startup. Since then, Nothing has released three competitive pairs of earbuds and two Android smartphones. During IFA last year, we spent a week using Phone (1) and came away impressed with this affordable, unique-looking, and well-rounded mid-range handset.

Phone (1) never officially made it to North America, but its successor, Phone (2) – which Nothing announced earlier this week – is coming to the US and Canada. While overall, this new phone inherits the standout design of its predecessor, it cranks the specs up into flagship territory with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 under the hood. Fortunately, at just $599 it also delivers the same value proposition as last year’s Phone (1).

We just spent two weeks testing Phone (2), so let’s find out what this unusual handset has to offer. Is it any good? How does it stack up to the competition? Is the Glyph Interface useful or is it just a gimmick? Read our full review below to find out...

Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like if Apple had made a larger iPhone 12, a “Plus” model if you will. Feel the slab-like aluminum frame, the gently rounded corners, the perfectly flat front display, and the two vertically stacked camera rings protruding from the rear glass. Now open your eyes. That’s not an imaginary iPhone in your hand, but a real Android handset – Nothing’s Phone (2). Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

“But wait” we hear you protest, “this is no iPhone clone; check out the back.” Here’s where things get interesting. Like its predecessor, Phone (2)’s rear glass is home to the Glyph Interface – a series of white LED strips under the transparent back that surround the wireless charging coil and twin 50MP shooters, and form segments that line up vertically with the charging port and at a 45-degree angle with the top right corner.

These LED strips are surrounded by ribbon cables, screws, and other parts that give the back some depth and texture. It reminds us a but of the RedMagic 8 Pro, minus the wild stencils. Everything under the rear glass is either a shade of dark gray or a shade of white, depending on the colorway you chose. As such, Phone (2)’s back is completely different from the iPhone’s, yet instantly recognizable as one of Nothing’s products.

Plus, unlike Phone (1)’s sharp edges, Phone (2)’s rear 2.5D glass curves into the metal frame, making the handset more comfortable to hold. We’ll dive into what the Glyph Interface brings to the table later on, but the takeaway here is that Phone (2)’s aluminum and glass design looks and feels extremely polished and refined. The attention to detail and build quality are top notch, rivaling Apple and Samsung’s best.

In front, the 6.7-inch LTPO OLED screen is covered in Gorilla Glass 5 and bounded by iPhone-like bezels. These aren’t the slimmest, but are perfectly even all around – a rare feat for an Android phone at this price point. It’s only with the center punch hole for the 32 MP selfie camera that the iPhone comparison ends. Obviously, there’s no notch or Dynamic Island here. As for dust and splash resistance, Phone (2) is rated IP54.

The rest of Phone (2)’s layout is pretty familiar. You’ll find the power/lock key on the right, volume rocker on the left, and secondary mic on top. One of the two speakers, the USB Type-C port, primary mic, and SIM tray are all located along the bottom edge. There’s also a third mic above the dual-LED flash plus a red LED (a recording indicator) in the back, and the earpiece lives in a slit above the display and doubles as the other speaker.

If you want a premium handset that looks and feels special, Phone (2) is exactly what the doctor ordered. Nothing nailed this design, and we’re big fans.

Phone (2) packs a perfectly flat, 6.7-inch 10-bit FHD+ (2412x1080 pixels, 394ppi) LTPO OLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. As we previously mentioned, the bezels aren’t the thinnest we’ve seen on a modern handset, but they are completely uniform, which is aesthetically pleasing. There’s a center punch hole at the top of the screen for the 32MP selfie camera.

Phone (2)’s flagship theme continues with a pair of 50MP rear shooters – a f/1.9 1.0-micron main sensor (1/1.56-inch Sony IMX890) with omni-directional PDAF and OIS, plus a f/2.2 0.64-micron 114-degree ultrawide (1/2.76-inch Samsung Isocell JN1) with AF – that both use 4-to-1 pixel binning to output 12.5MP images. A 32MP f/2.5 0.8-micron selfie camera (1/2.74-inch Sony IMX615) completes the package.